Recently in Arizona, Justine Siegal pitched batting practice to the Cleveland Indians. Besides breaking the gender barriers in elite baseball, Siegal has coached at both the college and professional level. She actually was the first woman to be a first base coach for the Brockton Rox, a Massachusetts men’s independent baseball team in 2009.
I found this article interesting because it reminded me of the Bloomer Girls we watched in “Dare to Compete.” The Bloomer Girls were a women’s professional club league that started in 1875 where the first game was organized by men as a form of entertainment. In order to maintain femininity yet functionality, the players wore trousers that paralleled “genie pants”.
At the batting practice, the manager said that Siegal was impressive and “she made me look bad.” This is the sort of statement that can be taken a number of ways. It could mean that she made him look bad because he did not think a woman could pitch at the MLB level. Or the statement could be perceived to mean that because he has been pitching batting practice for so long and she showed him up.
This article also addressed some things with Title IX. As stated in the article, Siegal was the first to work in the higher positions of power in baseball. According to the things talked about in class, I am sure Justine Siegal was quite alone at the top surrounded by males and the perpetuating ideals that are still in effect today. Recent statistics show that “women coach less than 2% of men’s teams.”
Justine Siegal has been scheduled to pitch the batting practice for the Oakland A’s. I think Siegal has shown that if you really want something, you can’t let barriers stop you (especially gender).
Jacquelyn Boone
KIN338I SECTION 05
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Being an avid baseball fan myself,this posting immediately caught my attention. However, the unfortunate yet reality of baseball is that is predominately played and ran by men. Like it was mentioned in the original post, not only are there no women's MLB baseball teams, there are little to no women baseball coaches. I find this information regarding Justine Siegal so amazing because it is crucial step towards dismantling baseball as a male's sport. Also, I think that the manager's statement that Siegal "made him look bad," shows growth but more importantly, it shows recognition. In order for baseball's gender stereotypes to dissolve, we must allow women to show their skills because Justine Siegal is a clear example of women's capability. The biggest achievement in regards to Siegal's sporting career is that she not overcame the hard ships of being a woman coach to a men's baseball team; she pitched at an actual MLB team's practice. An inspiring and hopeful aspect to Siegal's story is that although there was most likely a great deal of skepticism regarding participation in the Indian's practice, she has been asked to pitch at an Oakland Athletics' game as well. This alone shows that we as a sporting society are moving towards true equality.
-Emily Andrews
Kin 338I SECTION 6
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